Aloud he was still arguing, "The corporations aren't going to develop anything, Neal, unless the government backs them. You know how they work: let Uncle Sam take the risks and when it's safe they'll come in and take the profits."
McGrath nodded. "Sure. Fine. But NASA's the agency that's running with that particular ball. The Aerospace Force has no business extending its gold-plated tentacles all the way to the Moon."
It's like he's running for re-election. Kinsman said to himself. Then he realized. Of course he is! They always are.
"Sure, Neal, play kick the Pentagon," he said. "That's an 179 awfully convenient excuse for ducking the issue."
With the confident grin of a hunter who had finally cornered his quarry, McGrath asked, "So you want to build a permanent base on the Moon, despite the fact that we've signed treaties with the Russians to keep the Moon demilitarized ..."
"This base isn't going to be a fortress, for god's sake. You know that. It's a hospital. We're just using military astronauts to get the job done because we have a trained corps of people who aren't being utilized. The Russians want to work with us on this."
"AH right, all right." McGrath waved his hand, still grinning. "Even so. You put up this hospital of Durban's, this super geriatrics ward on the Moon, at a cost of billions. How's that going to help the welfare class in the cities? How's that going to rebuild New York or Detroit?"
"Or Washington," someone murmured.
Kinsman said, "It will create jobs . . ."
"For white engineers who live in the suburbs."
"It will save lives, for Chrissake!"
"For rich people who can afford to go to the Moon to live."
"It'll give people hope for the future."
"Ghetto people? Don't be silly."
"Neai," Kinsman said, exasperation in his voice, "maybe space operations won't solve any of those problems. But neither will anything else you do. Without a strong space effort you won't have the energy, the raw materials, the new wealth you need to rebuild the cities. Space gives us a chance, a hope—space factories and space power satellites will create new jobs here on Earth, increase the Gross National Product, bring new wealth into the economy. Nothing that you're promising to do can accomplish that, and nothing short of that can solve the problems you're so damned worked up about."
His smile a bit tighter, McGrath said, "Perhaps so. But your Moonbase won't do that. Industrial operations in orbit might do it. The corporations could do it, if they wanted to take the risks."
"But the corporations aren't moving fast enough. They're waiting for us to pave the way for them." 180
"That's why NASA's building the space stations," Mc- Grath said. "To encourage the corporations to push harder on industrial operations in orbit."
"But that's not enough! The most economical way to supply those space stations and orbital factories is with raw materials from the Moon."
Diane touched his arm, a curious gleam in her dark eyes. "Chet, why do you want a Moonbase so much?"
